Interview: Dave Mustaine news

I had thought that when I retired, the fire in my belly was going to burn out and that I would be able to slowly grow into retirement and hold onto my legendary status. The fire didn't go out. Somebody asked me to write a song for Tomb Raider 2, and it set all those juices flowing, and I just thought, "God I want to play again." I set out to start my solo record, and that is when the publishing company said we owe them another Megadeth record. I figured if I don't do it now, I will never do it. We went into the studio in November and finished it in April or May.

Q: Who is part of this record?

I wanted it to be a studio record with me being solo. I had some great percussion players. When I found out it had to be a Megadeth album, I still wanted to use the percussion guys. I didn't want to waste thousands of dollars and endless days of rehearsing and pre-production. So I wrote the record and talked to the guys to see if they wanted to do it again. Nick [Menza] was in and Marty [Friedman] was curious, [Dave] Ellefson wanted to know how much money was in it. I told Dave that this is non-negotiable and [told] Marty that it was a record, not a reunion. I told Nick that it was off because I couldn't accommodate those guys, and he was really sad. I figured I would keep it how it is. On drums I have a guy named Vinnie [Colaiuta] who is one of the top drummers in the world. On bass, I have a guy Jimmie [Sloas], who played on a song called "Insomnia." Because things couldn't work out with Marty, I thought I would bring in a guitar solo, but wanted to complete the circle since it is the last Megadeth album, so I brought [Chris] Poland into it and it's now done.

¿ Quick fact ?Megadeth's name is a play on the word "megadeath," which was coined by the U.S. military and means one million deaths. In addition to the obvious military theme (especially nuclear war) found in the band's music, Megadeth also focuses on POWs, politics, the environment, and breakups.

Q: How do you think your hardcore fans are going to take this change, since this is essentially "Dave's" side project?

They can say what they want. I care about what the fans feel. Do I care about how they think? Thinking is a very random statement. Do I care about what they say? It depends, if they are saying stuff to harm people, not really. Do I care about what mankind says in general? No, I care more about what God knows than what man says. If they give the record a fair shot, they are going to realize that this is Megadeth. The bottom line is, you listen to this record and it sounds like a Megadeth album.

Q: Did you have any consideration for what some of the guys who were part of Megadeth might think in regards to being excluded from this album?

They ostracized themselves. When I went to one guy and asked if he wanted to do it, he said he was in. When I went to another guy, he gives me this treasure hunt for information that I need to provide for him to do a couple of solos. It wasn't a reunion; there was no tour. The budget is none of your business, the funding is none of your business, the marketing is none of your business. Do you want to play solos on the record or not? The guys have played solos on a bunch of records, what difference does it make? When I talked to the last guy, he wanted more and wasn't entitled to more.

Q: Would you have ever contemplated a return to Metallica?

If they would have asked I probably would have, just based on the fact that I hated Kirk so much and I was pissed off that he became so popular off of my efforts. But now I wouldn't.

Q: Why the change of heart?

The last injustice was with this movie, Some Kind of Monster... I am done with them. I told Lars that I didn't want my stuff in there; he knows that it came from me because I told the director that I didn't want it in there. Now he is saying stupid sh*t on BlabberMouth.com, like that he is sexually attracted to me. Sorry Lars.

Q: What would it take for you guys to do an album with that cast of characters?

I think it is impossible. You have one person that isn't the songwriter asking for another songwriter's publishing. That isn't fair. You have a guy who is contractually entitled to a large amount of cash and that isn't good enough and he wants more, that isn't fair. You have a guy who isn't part of anything and would come in to do a very meager amount of work and wants to know everything that is pertaining to the business... you can know all that, but it isn't going to change how you are going to get paid.

Q: The name of the album is The System Has Failed — tell us about that.

It's not just America. It is everywhere. Look at Spain — the terrorists blew up that train and within three days there was a new government because of fear. Look at the coalition, where everyone went into Afghanistan but no one wanted to go into Iraq. France, Germany and Russia didn't want to go into Iraq because they stood to lose billions of dollars in the northern oil fields. They were supposed to manufacture the refineries, pipelines and cars for Iraq. The public only knows the surface of what is going on, we get fed what the media wants to feed us. Some people who do a little research will find out this stuff. I am interested in politics. The system is not just the judicial system, the school system in America is suffering and the political system is out of control. Since when do judges decide what the American people want, the people are supposed to vote for that. Canada has a different outlook on America; I have a lot of great Canadian friends. When mankind goes back to treating people the way you want to be treated, things will settle, I don't see that happening. I treat people the way I want to be treated, which makes me odd. Some people think I am a p*ssy and others are shocked that I do what I say I am going to do. Rock 'n' roll is about not being one of the sheep.

Q: No Dave, you're certainly one of a kind. Thanks for your time, we look forward to hearing the new album!

If you'd like more news on Dave Mustaine and the rest of Megadeth, visit www.megadeth.com.